USF students and Tampa community rally against Israeli drone factory
Tampa, FL- On Tuesday, September 16, around 30 students and community members gathered to protest the recently built XTEND factory in Mango, Florida.
The rally was led by USF Students for a Democratic Society and was joined by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Speakers included members of SDS such as Briana Beebe, who said to the crowd, “XTEND, Israel, and the U.S. must be held accountable for their war crimes, for their genocide in Gaza.”
XTEND opened in Tampa this past July with help from the Florida Israeli Business Accelerator (FIBA). This business agreement allows for Israeli tech companies to find investors in Florida with taxpayers’ dollars and establish a presence in the U.S. XTEND is known for producing drones, which are then used to aid Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
The crowd chanted, “From Tampa to Palestine, end the U.S. war machine!” and “Not another penny, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” The energy of the crowd was high as attendees cheered on at the mention of continuing the fight to end the genocide.